All But Normal: Life on Victory Road

This is an unusual memoir/autobiography by Shawn Thornton about his difficult childhood. His mother lived through a car accident as a teenager which damaged something in her brain, causing her emotions to become unpredictable. This book is really impressive as it reveals the devotion and love Shawn's father showed towards his wife, the grace God showed to all of them throughout their difficult family life, and the grace God gave to Shawn and his brother Troy to forgive and forget and move on in life. Overall, I was amazed and impressed by the love shared throughout this confusing life. It opened up to me how it is to live with someone suffering brain/emotion problems. It also gave me more of a heart for those people who are locked in a world we cannot understand.

My only criticism of this book is that some of the bad words spoken by the mother in her uncontrollable fits of rage are included with just the first letter and a dash. To me, that's just as bad as the whole word since I know what it means and I wish they had just left out the horrible words altogether. But I understand the point.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion.